


Echoes in Faded Memories

by Hope_Void_Enby



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/F, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-07 15:50:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21460576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hope_Void_Enby/pseuds/Hope_Void_Enby
Summary: Worried eyes, straining to see through the bright glow of the mark that had attached itself so fiercely to her hand, racked over the woman on her knees. The pain had caused them to buckle beneath her yet she clung to consciousness, albeit weakly. As the light faded the other members of her party dared creep closer, just as worried as he was.When she looked up, a faint green glow faded from not just her hand, but her eyes as well. This caused an equal amount of fear and curiosity to run down the elf's spine while the others were no doubt desperate to see if she would return from this vision.
Relationships: Female Inquisitor/Leliana (Dragon Age), Inquisitor/Leliana
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	Echoes in Faded Memories

Her legs were tired and her whole body ached. Hundreds of minor wounds hissed in pain as dust settled around her and she struggled to get to her feet. It was nearly impossible to see yet even the few feet she could make out in front of her seemed a barren wasteland. 

Pain.

Her hands scraped against the rocky steps as she pulled herself further up the stair case. Scuttling and hissing noises made her heart pound as she dared to look behind her to see what was following. Her heart felt as though it would choke her as it leapt to her throat, her eyes widening. Spiders. Giant spiders climbing faster than she could, quickly catching up. 

Fear.

A white glow caught her eye in the midst of the darkened oasis, her tired and shaking legs begging to collapse. She willed herself to keep pushing as the glow formed itself in the shape of a woman, reaching out her hand. The skittering sounds behind her propelled her forwards and she stretched her arm as far as it would go as she pushed her legs to go faster.

Hope.

An overwhelming light flashed over her, momentarily blinding the elf as she stepped out from the Fade. She saw the glint of swords pointed in her direction but exhaustion soon took hold. She did not have the strength to object as her legs gave out and she dropped to the ground, barely feeling the impact as she retreated into the warmth of unconsciousness.

\-----------------------------------------------

When she first awoke, she did not bother to open her eyes. Whether that was thanks to fear of what she would see or exhaustion, she could not tell. Her knees ached, legs bent under her against cold stone. Despite this, she sat upright with only her head down. She felt her hair, long and a deep oak brown, hanging over her, sweat sticking each strand to the edges of her face. Her scars itched as hair brushed against the sensitive skin and her wrists were sore with a heavy weight against them. When she finally managed to pry her eyes open, she was immediately greeted by a blinding flash of green light. It seemed to have come from her palm, only causing more confusion in the disgruntled state she was in.   
The creak of a door being shoved open made her look up, two women entering the (as she was noticing now) already crowded room. The four guards around her sheathed their swords as one of the woman approached, the other choosing to stay near the entrance and watch.   
"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you now." The words startled her, spoken by the woman in armour too close to her ear. She looked up, snapped out of her daze and trying to piece together what had happened to put her here. The last thing she remembered...."The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead, except for *you*." The woman continued, glaring down at the elf on her knees, clearly expecting an answer.   
"All those people...are gone?" She asked in disbelief, her panic rising at the thought that she might have had something to do with such a thing. The woman did not care for her response, instead reaching down to tug on the chains that bound the elf's hands together. "Explain this." She hissed, raising her left palm higher to gesture to the mark. This caused the elven woman to once more turn her attention to the strange green emanating from her, wondering herself what had led to its’ sudden appearance.  
"I....can't." She breathed, looking up with confusion clear across her face.   
"What do you mean you can't!" She snapped, clearly already frustrated before she'd even entered the room. This, however, caused the elf to pull back. The other woman sensed this and stepped forward, grabbing the woman whom questioned her by the elbow.   
"Cassandra we need her." She insisted, not quite violent yet clearly forceful. Cassandra sighed and visibly calmed herself.   
"Head to the forward camp, I will lead her to the Breach." Cassandra assured the other woman, sending her off as she approached once more.  
Meanwhile, the elf on the floor was still trying to stitch together the memories she had. She knew where she came from, the Free Marches were a hard place to forget. Her clan had sent her to the Conclave, thinking that whatever happened would affect everyone. The Conclave had barely started when...all she could remember was it was something big. Kalae (her name finally coming back to her) allowed Cassandra to pull her to her feet, trying her best to stay balanced.   
"....what did happen at the Conclave?" She asked hesitantly as the iron chains fell with a heavy thump against the floor. Cassandra quickly replaced it with rope, leading Kalae to the door before answering.   
"It is best, if I show you." She brushed off the question as she opened the door, the light blinding compared to the dark, dank cell. Kalae allowed herself to fall quiet, retreating into her thoughts as she tried to figure it out. When she tried remembering what happened at the conclave, all she could gather were feelings. Pain and fear then....hope? She remembered feeling exhausted, then waking up in..well, wherever they were now.   
Cassandra led her down a path through a crowded camp, soldiers and civilians alike buzzing around. Some were angry, some frightened and curled up with what looked like their families. When Kalae passed, the soldiers found time to glare. Those who didn't have work to be doing, crossed their arms as if they were disappointed in her. She didn't understand.  
"They have decided your guilt." Cassandra explained as they passed. Before Kalae could object, Cassandra continued, "they needed it." If they really needed someone to blame, Kalae was the only one who survived (apparently). However, she did not condemn the fact that they were all blaming her. She had done nothing, and was not in the mood to be proving her innocence!....she didn't even know if she was innocent....   
"Open the gates! We're heading to the foreword camp!" Cassandra shouted, momentarily distracted the elf from her thoughts. Giant wooden doors loomed over them, though Kalae could not guess their purpose. The wall around it only covered the bridge they'd worked their way onto. The gates obeyed, sliding open with a loud creak. They continued in (momentary) silence, quickly broken as Cassandra suddenly stopped. She slid a knife out from her belt and Kalae worried briefly about what she would do with it, but Cassandra simply cut the rope that had been tied around her hands. Kalae was relieved, rubbing her hands, but it was short lived. A loud boom echoed in her ears and she fell to her knees as her hand felt like it was being ripped into. Cassandra leaned down, pointing to her hand  
"Each time the Breach grows, your mark expands and it *is* killing you." She explained briskly, "we think it may have the power to close the breach, but we must get there quickly." The sudden realization that she was, quite possibly, going to die made her glad she was already on her knees.   
"If...If I can help, then I will." Cassandra's face lightened slightly at Kalae's words and she helped the elven woman to her feet.   
"Let's get moving then." She was kinder now, more willing to humour Kalae as she gathered her scattered thoughts. Cassandra waited patiently for her to take the lead, and they went on their way to reach the camp ahead.

<<<><><>>>

The pulses got stronger as they got closer, causing Kalae to collapse several times. Each time, Cassandra would none-too-gently help her up. She wondered when they'd actually reach the camp, and decided to ask about what happened at the temple to pass the time.  
"They say you stepped out of the fade. Some claim they saw a woman behind you, though nobody knows who it was-" Suddenly a giant rock, covered in a green, sticky aura came crashing towards them. It broke through the bridge they had begun to walk onto, cracking the stone and throwing it all onto the ice, including everyone who was on it.   
They hit the ice hard, cold slivers digging into her skin through the thin clothes she wore. She noticed for the first time how cold it was, how desolate everything had become in the wake of the rift in the sky. While Kalae struggled to stand, the sound of cracking ice quickened her heart. She knew the fragile surface would not hold under their weight for long but, as she opened her mouth to warn Cassandra, she realized the warrior was already up. Not only that, but she seemed to be fending off a demon that had seemingly pulled itself out of the ice.   
She was struggling against two of them. They were both at least twice her size, giant armoured spikes on their shoulders and sticking from their backs. Kalae, momentarily forgetting about the fragile ice, searched for a weapon. She didn't have to look far, a bunch of supplies had been dropped off the bridge with them, as a sword had found itself lodged next to her. She thanked whatever god was out there that it had not hit her directly, then ripped it from the ice to assist Cassandra. The hilt was cold to the touch yet Kalae held on, wincing as water poured off the blade and over her hands when she raised it. Never the less, she charged forward. She did not have much experience with heavy blades, but it was the best thing she had at the moment.   
Surging forward she let out a sharp cry as she dug the blade into the skin of one of the demons, distracting it from its attack against Cassandra. The demon snarled as it turned, it's movements slow due to the lack of legs. She took the opportunity to continue hacking at its body, hoping that even if she couldn't defeat it, she'd at least be able to distract it until Cassandra could deal with it. Black goo hissed as it slid from the wounds, slow and thick like tar. Kalae couldn't help but grimace at the sticky liquid that now coated her blade as she shoved it through the demon's body for the last time.   
It seemed to disappear into the ground, yet the blood (if you could even call it that) remained. She glanced up to see that Cassandra had finished off the other demon, letting a sigh of relief fly out of her mouth.  
"It's over." She breathed, tossing the sword aside. Cassandra caught her gaze, the warrior clearly deciding whether to reprimand her or not. She did not get the chance to decide as the sound of cracking ice filled the small river they stood on. Water splashed across the surface of the ice as large cracks formed, tearing the already-fragile ice apart. Kalae's eyes widened, her fight or flight instincts pumping adrenaline through her. She didn't think, didn't have the chance to, just dashed forward. Cassandra protested as suddenly Kalae was barrelling into her, knocking her safely off the ice.  
Kalae's boots were soaked as water poured through the cracks in the ice, making squelching sounds as she reached dry land. Cassandra, furious, was pulling herself up off the ground.  
"What in the name of the Maker was that!" She snapped. It wasn't a question.   
"I saved you!" Kalae said indignantly, still slightly buzzed on adrenaline from the fight. Before Cassandra could object, the Breach sent another wave of energy rippling over the sky. She scowled, but said nothing as she stalked past the elf.

<<<><><>>>

"I hear fighting, we have to help them!" Sounds of battle were indeed getting closer, though Kalae wondered who was fighting. She quietly hoped whoever was fighting was okay, she did not like the look of the demons that had been coming out of whatever that hole in the sky led to.   
"Who's fighting?" Kalae managed over the wind, hoping Cassandra would here as the warrior picked up the pace.   
"You will see." She replied simply, now too far ahead for any further discussion. Kalae was beginning to realize that Cassandra was a lot more stubborn than she seemed, and that was saying something. However, she was reasonably worried.   
A green glow just over the hill soon took the shape of a smaller rift. A mixture of soldiers and an odd mixture of a dwarf and an elf were fighting against several of the demons that had come from the rift. They'd barely gotten there when the last demon was taken down. The elf, turning out to be bald as she got closer, quickly gripped her wrist. Kalae panicked for a moment, but calmed as he spoke.  
"Quick, before more come through!" He exclaimed, raising her wrist. The mark on Kalae's hand made her skin tingle, the feeling like bugs crawling across her skin. She shivered but was far too focused on the bright green light that had immediately flown from her palm, connecting her to the rift. 

****

"If your so persistent about it, then you do it." Alex sighed heavily, turning her gaze to Alistair. He shuffled awkwardly, shaking his head.  
"N-no. I...suppose your right." He replied quickly. Alex was glad he didn't continue to protest. After what had just happened, the last thing she was ready for was more problems. She used Alistair's silence as a chance to turn, instead, to Morrigan.   
"We welcome your help." She said, offering the apostate a smile. Morrigan did not return the smile.  
"I'm so glad." She did not sound happy. Of course, Alex couldn't be sure that she'd be happy if her mother was forcing her to accompany some random elf on a dangerous adventure. Therefore, Alex did not retort. "Let me gather my things, then." Morrigan sighed, turning on her heel as she (although begrudgingly) went to prepare herself for the journey.

***

Kalae gasped, feeling as though she'd just been flung into another world. It took her a moment to regain her bearings, realizing everyone was staring at her when she did. She calmed her breathing, a bit embarrassed at the staring. Had that been Alistair? Like...KING Alistair?   
"Did I do it?" She asked hesitantly, glancing around. The soldiers had apparently moved on, the mixed-race group had stayed behind with her though. The elf nodded, curiosity in his eyes. Kalae could not tell why, though perhaps it had something to do with the fact that she'd closed the rift. "I'm glad I can help." She said assuredly. "Let's get the rest of this over with." She said the last part quickly, under her breath but with conviction.   
"Name's Varric. Dwarf, story teller, and occasionally an unwelcome tag along." The dwarf approached, sliding a crossbow onto his back. He winked at Cassandra at the last part, Kalae assuming that this meant they didn't like each other very much. Before Cassandra could respond, as she clearly wanted to, the bald elf stepped forward.   
"If there are to be introductions; My name is Solas. I studied the mark on your hand while you were asleep." Solas seemed to be the one keeping the peace between Varric and Cassandra. Kalae was just glad that *she* didn't have to.   
"He means that he kept that mark from killing you while you slept." Varric butt in, offering a smile in her direction.   
Kalae turned to Solas, eyes wide.   
"Really?" It wasn't a question, not really. "Thank you." She added quickly, resisting the urge to hug the stranger. Cassandra soon cut in, impatient.   
"Let's keep going." She insisted, starting to walk before anyone could object. She found her way through a wooden blockade when she saw that the path ahead was blocked. Keeping up with Cassandra was a task in itself. Anytime anyone stopped or was too slow for her liking she'd snap something along the lines of "don't make me leave you behind." But eventually they did reach what she kept referring to as 'the foreword camp'. 

<<<><><>>>

The foreword camp was a lot more crowded than the previous area had been. Full of soldiers, commoners and chantry people alike. The woman Kalae had met earlier was there, arguing over something with one of the chantry brothers.   
"There she is! Guards, I demand you chain her and send her to Val Royeux for execution!" The chantry brother snapped as she approached, straightening from the desk that was hastily propped against the wall.   
"Ignore that." Cassandra snapped as the guards began to move. They nodded, stepping away from the scene. Kalae let out a sigh of relief, glad she'd at least get a trial before someone tried to behead her.   
"I demand you chain this prisoner!" The cleric snapped. Though he didn't attempt to step around the table, clearly a man who's bark was bigger than his bite.   
"*You* command *me*? You're a glorified clerk!" Cassandra snapped back, glaring at the shorter man.   
"And your a thug! But a thug I thought served the chantry." The chantry cleric was clearly set in being a nuisance. It gave Kalae a headache. "Call the retreat. We will lose this battle." He continued, placing his hands firmly on the table.   
Cassandra completely ignored him, a habit of hers it seemed, sliding her hands over the map pinned to the table.   
"We can charge with the commander, its the quickest route." Cassandra suggested, trailing her finger along the path they would take. "Lelianna's scouts are still in the mountains though!" A soldier, having heard the conversation, butt in. He seemed desperate, frantically glancing between the Seeker and the Spymaster. He calmed quickly, bowing. "I'm sorry, I did not mean any disrespect." Kalae glanced up at Cassandra.  
"Then we take the mountain route. We need to save those scouts, or at least whatever is left of them." She gave a nod of affirmation. Placing a hand on the scout's shoulder briefly before turning to the other party members. "Let's get going."  
After climbing for what seemed like hours (though could only have been a couple of minutes), they'd finally made there way out of a small tomb in the mountains. It was there that they heard the fighting ahead, perhaps the missing scouts? They'd found some bodies further up the path, hopefully these were the ones who remained.  
Cassandra, ever the impatient one, ran forward. She was already there, fighting a demon off a wounded scout, when they arrived. Kalae quickly realized that she did not have a weapon, she had only been thinking about helping the lost scouts when she'd made her choice. Varric noticed this as the others rushed off to battle, stepping closer to her.   
"Here." He offered, handing her a dagger he'd pulled from his belt, "it's not much, but it's better than nothing."   
"Thank you." Kalae said, immediately finding her way into the fray. It was easier to fight this time, her lithe legs more useful for dodging than they were for forceful attacks. She quickly cut down several green, half-bodied demons, anyone killed turning to ash and being sucked back into the rift.   
Everyone looked to her as the last demon was killed, expecting her to know what to do. The only time she'd ever close one of these was with Solas' help, but she figured it was pretty simple. She raised her left hand in the direction of the rift, focusing on closing it. The same green light flew from her hand, the feeling across her skin made her grimace yet she stayed still, allowing the light to connect her to the fade once more. 

****

It had been such a long day. The warmth of the fire on her face made it seem so distance though, and her muscles ached to stay in it's light. She remained by the fire, barely looking up as Lelianna approached to take a seat next to her.   
"Thank you for letting me accompany you. I do not know what I would have done if I'd been stuck in the Chantry, unable to to anything to help." She said softly, sliding closer to the tired elf. Alex turned her gaze to the chantry sister, offering a smile.  
"I am glad to have you along." She replied, her voice soft yet still cracked from shouting orders all day. "You were a big help today. I hope that Morrigan hasn't cause you too much trouble. Maker knows how she can be." Lelianna boasted a laugh at the comment, shaking her head lightly. Her brown hair glinted in the fire light, the warm glow illuminating her pale features. Alex felt almost bad for taking her from her chantry life, but it had been what she wanted.   
"I would worry more about Zevran. He does not bother masking his....attraction, towards every female in camp." Lelianna offered her own piece of gossip in return, the two girls sharing a soft chuckle. Alex allowed Lelianna to lean against her and they spent the rest of the night in silence, staring into the fire.

***

Kalae felt dizzy. As if she'd gone from zero energy to more than she'd expected. She nearly collapsed, but locked her knees to stay steady. She shook her head, glancing around her. They were still in the mountains, her party members remained along with the scouts. Everyone was a short distance away from her, clearly noticing that she'd lost control of her mind for a moment.   
"Thank you, then." The scout captain gave a nod towards Kalae, clearly having been informed about the situation while she was...distracted. Kalae shook her head, offering a quick smile.  
"We should get moving." She insisted, coming out a bit more forcefully than she had planned. Her party members gave her a few odd looks, but agreed to keep moving.

<<<><><>>>

When they reached the Breach, Solas was the first to break off. He said something about needing to be a fair distance from the breach, but that was it.   
After that, it was Varric. It's understandable the dwarf would stay on the ramparts, his techniques of more use from a distance.  
Cassandra, however, stayed. It was difficult to start a conversation with her, she was desperate to see the breach closed. This, however, simply added more stress to Kalae's plate.   
They'd barely made their way past the field of bodies (something Kalae wished never to see again) when echoing voices filled the ruins.  
"Bring forth the sacrifice." It was a deep voice, once that Kalae almost recognized.   
"What are we hearing?" Cassandra asked in the same stern tone, glancing around for a source of the voice. She clearly didn't have much of a grasp on what the breach was either.  
"Echoes of what happened here." Solas' voice startled Kalae, she had not heard him approach. He noticed and gave a small, apologetic smile.   
"Someone, help me!" Another echoing voice, this time female.   
"That's Divine Justinia's voice!" Cassandra exclaimed, pacing gently. She clearly didn't know what to do. Kalae took the initiative to slide down the last few feet to reach the floor below the rift attached to the breach. Cassandra and Solas followed soon after, Kalae spotting Varric coming down the path to slide after them.  
"This rift is not closed, not properly." Solas said, looking up at the glowing green split in the sky. "It won't remain closed for long. If we can open it, then we can close it safely, but that will cause some unwanted attention."  
"That means demons. Be ready!" Cassandra shouted the orders to the soldiers and scouts on the walls. Once Varric had found his way down to them, Solas nodded in Kalae's direction and she gave a sharp nod in return. Throwing her arm into the air, she focused energy to her hand. The same green light ripped out from her hand, this time meant to break than to fix. It tore open the rift, as expected, then dissipated.

***

“You okay?” Alex sighed as she lifted her head, almost glaring at the human leaning over her.   
“Oh yeah, the bear trap currently in my ankle is no big deal.” She hissed through her teeth, sarcasm barely crawling its way into her tone through the pain. Alistair leaned back, rubbing his neck.  
“Yeah....do you...need help?” Alex gave him an incredulous look and he looked guilty before ducking away to talk to Leliana, the only woman he had any success with talking to, who turned to Morrigan to ask for help. Alex had to admit that Morrigan’s magic had come in handy. She hadn’t trusted the mage at first, but they’d become close friends since the first day of their adventure.  
She was pulled from her thoughts by the loud screech of metal and a sharp jab of pain up her leg.   
“Son of a bitch!” She snapped, hitting the ground as she jerked back. Leliana was quick to kneel next to her, offering a consoling smile. Alex focused on her instead of Morrigan, who was currently prying the metal spikes apart. She knew she should have been more careful in this gods-forsaken temple. As if this whole mess wasn’t complicated enough, werewolves and elves at war? She almost missed the alienage. Almost.

***

Kalae woke up on her knees, her breathing rugged and her hands clamped against her ears. She was backed up against something cold and rough...the cliff edge? She opened her eyes slowly, faced with a deafening howl from a monster at least ten times her height.   
She leapt to her feet, surprised and relieved to find both her ankles intact, still a bit woozy from...whatever that had been. She frantically searched for her party members, quickly spotting them in their frenzied attacks. Cassandra was at it’s ankles, sending cracks through it’s tough scales in an attempt to weaken it. Solas stood near the breach, which the demon had wandered away from, fending off smaller atrocities, and Varric had somehow ended up on it’s shoulder; digging at the skin between the armour on it’s neck. It would have been humorous, the stout dwarf clinging to the creature’s back as if it were a druffalo, had it not been extremely dangerous.   
She couldn’t afford to stand here any longer, she needed to help them. She wasn’t quite sure how, but she’d figure that out once she knew that her friends were alright. Her first move was to get closer, see what she could help with.


End file.
